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Call for Contributions: Measuring Impact

In this upcoming issue of the Urban Agriculture Magazine we would like to explore the issue of city region food system assessment and monitoring.

A growing number of cities/city regions are already aware of the importance and potential of their food system and their responsibility towards it (see for example this video of the Mayor of Quito). In order to support on the ground policy transformation, cities need to assess their food dependencies, identify weaknesses and potential pressure points, and where possible, develop and monitor targeted strategies to improve their food systems. At the same time, the demand for data to show impact of city urban food policies, programmes and interventions is growing.

In the past year we have seen the development of various assessment and indicator frameworks to help cities to map the current status and performance of their city region food system.

With this magazine we like to explore how such assessment frameworks have concretely supported planning and policy, and have enabled cities to measure and monitor changes in relation to food strategies and action plans. What is being assessed (for example food flows, the climate vulnerability of the food system, jobs in the food system) and what are key data and knowledge gaps?

And what are cities and policy makers doing with regards to measuring food policy impact and/or the impact of practical initiatives? Why are data important? Are data available? What kind of data-informed changes can we already see in areas such as governance, sustainable diets and nutrition, social and economic equity, food production, food supply and distribution and food waste?

We look for articles in the following categories:

Experience with different frameworks and methodologies for assessing and planning sustainable urban food systems

The role of monitoring/indicator frameworks in defining urban food policies/strategies and impacts

Practical examples of how food metrics actually make a difference for a city and in what ways

Examples of application of data analysis and data visualisation tools in food programmes and policies.

Deadline for articles: 19 February (abstract or first draft), 5 March (full article).

Total article length should be 600 (1 page), 1400 (2 page) or 2100 words (3 page). We also welcome other type of contributions such as interviews, book reviews, visual stories, videos or infographics.

The Magazine will be published by May 2018. For more information or to receive the detailed author guidelines, contact Femke Hoekstra at f [dot] hoekstra [at] ruaf [dot] org.